The Weirdest Halloween
by Shirley Ann Burton
Summary: I'm on my way home from the bowling alley when I find myself mysteriously in Electro City...and as a target for Faceless, who thinks I'M Angela Jacobs!


The Weirdest Halloween   
by: Shirley Ann Burton

**The Any-Time-of-Year Disclaimer:**   
** _The Magician_, and all other related material, are copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia. Angela Jacobs is my original creation, and I don't have to say anything else at this point. This story was inspired by the fact there was a full moon on Halloween night, which lead to this wild story. I hope you enjoy it.**

It was Halloween night, and I had just finished another night of league bowling. This night, though, I decided to do something really crazy: I bowled the three-game series in my homemade Magician costume! I wore the whole costume when I arrived, but I had to take off the gloves because I couldn't hold the ball with them on, plus the cape had to go for obvious tripping reasons. I was the _only_ person daring enough to dress in a costume.   
The only serious setback I had this night was falling down on my left knee after hitting a very dry spot on the bowling lane, causing me to stick my left foot suddenly and forcing me to fall onto the side and right on the knee. Amazingly, I still picked up the spare after I fell, and everyone applauded the pick-up.   
What was even better was the appearance of the _full_ moon, which gave Halloween more haunting appeal. I wasn't going to let the events of the past month or so get the better of me. I was going to enjoy the remainder of the fun holiday, since my birthday was the next day. (Makes me wish my birthday were on Halloween instead of November 1st.)   
Anyway, I put the gloves and cape back on and wished my two fellow teammates well, as I would see them next week again. (One other teammate was on vacation at the time and would return the following week.) I grabbed my bowling bag complete with ball and special bowling shoes. "Nothing like a 485 series to really make this a great Halloween."   
I exited the bowling alley through the side door to get to my car and go home for the evening. "I'd better get home now, mainly since Mom's got her doctor's appointment tomorrow."   
However, as I got to the parking lot, I noticed something very different. I couldn't find my car. There was no way to miss it because I had placed two U.S. car flags on the sides. "What's going on here? I've got to get home."   
As I kept getting more confused by the second, I heard a rather dark and ominous female voice out of nowhere. "Well, well, well. I want the Magician, and I get his cutesy counterpart in the process."   
I actually thought this was some kind of joke. "Aw, come on. Party's over. I have to get home so I can get some sleep."   
"You're not going anywhere, little Magician."   
"Look, I don't know what game you're pulling," I stated with nerves getting more high-strung at each passing second, "but I am serious. My mother has a doctor's appointment in the morning, and I'm the only one who can take her."   
"You expect me to believe that!?" she yelled. "Your mother and father are both dead! You can't fool me…Jacobs!"   
_Jacobs?_ I finally realized what happened to me. _Oh, my God! I've crossed over into the Magician's world! Plus, I know whose creepy voice that is!_ "Faceless!"   
She soon came out of the sky and literally landed right behind me. "Good guess, little girl!"   
I turned around and saw the red eyes staring into my own, causing me to jump back in fear and fall backwards to the ground. "Wha…what do you want with me?"   
"I need you to be the bait…for Cooper!"   
_Oh, no. She thinks _I'm_ Angela Jacobs, and she's gonna use me to lure Ace! I don't know what to do right now. I don't have any powers._ I had never been that frightened in all my life. I tried to be as truthful as possible to the dangerous female thief. "Listen, you don't understand. I'm not Angela Jacobs. All I want to do is get home and be ready to take Mom to—"   
"Don't you dare lie to me, Jacobs! If you think you're gonna get off that easily, I don't think so! You can't fool me with that dark brown hair or brown eyes!"   
"Will you stop it!? My dark brown hair and brown eyes are real, and this is my homemade costume! What is your problem?"   
Faceless growled in anger. "Oh, I get it. You're gonna try to act your way out of this by pretending you're someone else. Halloween may be a night where anything goes, but I'm not buying this act of yours. You're coming with me now, Jacobs!"   
The moment I noticed her holding a syringe, more than likely filled with a drug of some kind, my defensive instincts started to kick in. _Guess it's time to put that self-defense I learned in college to work._ I went into a protective stance, ready to fend off whatever the female criminal had in store for me.   
"What's the matter, Jacobs? Can't use magic?" She then tried to charge at me with the syringe.   
I was able to fall backwards, grab her arm, and throw her about seven feet. "You've got to be out of your mind! I am _not_ Angela Jacobs! I don't know how I got here, but—"   
"Shut up, Jacobs! I will _not_ fall for your little game!" Faceless then stood up and charged at me again. "You're mine!"   
I quickly dodged to the right and let her run right through, making her lose her balance and fall forward. The syringe fell from her hand and broke on impact with the ground.   
I started laughing. "Boy, that Dance Dance Revolution video game sure has helped with my foot dexterity. I need to play it more often."   
"How dare you laugh at me!" growled Faceless. "I'll make certain you suffer!" She then took out a little glass ball and threw it on the ground, causing it to explode and create smoke around the area.   
I quit the laughter immediately and started coughing. "I'm allergic to smoke! I've gotta get outta here!"   
I tried as best I could to run, but I couldn't see anything in the process.   
Faceless then came up behind me and injected me with some kind of tranquilizing drug. She had another needle on her, the clever crook she was. "Sweet dreams, Jacobs," she said wickedly. "Now I have the bait for the perfect trap on Cooper!"   
Just before I lost consciousness, I tried to say something. "But…I'm…not…Ange—" I definitely remember falling to the ground.   
The thief grabbed my arms and started pulling on me. "Good grief! She must've eaten all the candy tonight or something…she's heavy!"   
She kept dragging me somewhere, but where…I had absolutely no idea. 

The two-car bullet train known as the _Magic Express_, home to Ace Cooper the Magician, was very quiet on this Halloween night, as its four regular residents were out doing various things on this fun night.   
As the full moon shone brightly on Electro City, two people returned in a big car which entered the garage.   
With the parking complete, pair entered the living room, starting with someone who looked like Count Dracula, with the fangs, white face, and perfect outfit. "After you, my dear," he said in the true Bela Lugosi voice.   
A young lady came into the premises and bowed at the vampire. "Thank you, sir," she said with a royal tone.   
When the door closed, Count Dracula said, "Ah, it's so much fun to dress up for Halloween, for it's the one time of year where anybody can go as anyone, even the Magician himself." With a quick turn of his cape, his vampire costume changed into the normal outfit worn by Ace Cooper himself. "I'm so glad the day is over, though," he said in his normal tone of voice.   
"My friend," said the princess, who spun herself and became Angela Jacobs in her own normal clothing, "you're absolutely right."   
"Meanwhile, Cosmo's out doing something wacky tonight, which is why Zina went with him and his friend."   
"Yeah, so don't expect them home for a little while anyway. I'm just glad we didn't have to do a show this year."   
"Amen to that. It's nice to take a break from performing on Halloween for once. It was still nice to wear a costume." Ace just let himself fall onto the couch. "Boy, what a fun day it's been. I don't know anything that would even make the day any better, or—" He stopped in midstream because of a strange feeling within him.   
Angie, able to sense his thoughts and feelings because she had the Magic Force like Ace, had no trouble telling her concern. "Ace, what's the matter?"   
"I'm not sure…I have the feeling someone's here, someone…who _shouldn't_ be here."   
"In the Express?"   
"No…here, in this world. Someone from another world is here, but whom?"   
Angie started developing a similar feeling moments later, this much stronger. "I feel someone's presence in this world as well," she said slowly. "Don't tell me there's been another dimensional rift."   
Angel, the super-computer system which protected the Magic Express, appeared in its holographic form and spoke. "Ace, someone has sent you a rather disturbing message."   
"Really? Playback in the living room please."   
"Very well."   
When the video image appeared on the screen, the two magicians were very surprised.   
"Faceless!?" Ace stated angrily.   
"Mrs. Brighton," said Angie, who helped to discover the thief's true identity more than two years earlier.   
The female master thief had a threatening voice in the message. "Cooper, I have your female partner here."   
"What!?" Angie said in total shock. "How can she have _me_? I'm here."   
"Good question," said Ace curiously.   
"If you want to see her alive again," the thief continued, "then meet me alone at the fireworks factory in one hour. No Cosmo or Vega, either! Just you and me. Only thing is, your friend Jacobs has sure gone out of her way to look and act like somebody else, claiming she has to take her mother to a doctor's appointment in the morning, wearing a miserable facsimile for a costume, having the dark brown hair and brown eyes, and being somehow heavier." She then stepped away from the shot. "As you can see, she's here, safe and sound, but unable to use her powers because I've given her a powerful tranquilizer. Remember, Cooper, one hour, and come _alone_, or your female friend buys the farm!" The screen then went black.   
Ace couldn't figure out what was happening. "How can Faceless say she kidnapped you when you're here at home?"   
"Wait a minute," the female magician said. "Ace, quick, let's take hands. I think I know who she's _really_ kidnapped."   
The two magicians took hands and glowed softly in their individually colored auras of light blue and rippling violet.   
"Now," said Angie, "focus on the kidnapped person. What can you see?"   
"Dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a pretty good costume."   
"Who's the only person we know who built her own homemade Magician costume and has dark brown hair and brown eyes?"   
Thinking very carefully, Ace gasped at the identity of the victim. "Oh, my God! Faceless has kidnapped…Shirley Burton!"   
"Yes. Shirley must have accidentally crossed over into our world, where Faceless kidnapped her and took her prisoner."   
"Poor Shirley," Ace said in worry. "She must be scared out of her mind right now."   
"I don't sense anything other than fear within her at the moment. We can't leave her in Faceless's hands."   
"Right. Her life is in danger, and we're the only ones who can rescue her, but how to do it…" The Magician remembered the weather report. "The forecast calls for foggy conditions tonight, which would make it perfect to pull it off. I've been to that fireworks factory before. The closed circuit system isn't exactly up-to-date, and they don't even use infrared sensors. If you can use your powers to basically teleport herself from one spot to another around and eventually into the factory, we stand a much better chance of rescuing Shirley safely." Pacing around, he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if Shirley's also in that factory. Angie, I hate to ask this, but you'll have to take some other means of transportation. Taking the Magic Bike would make you too noticeable."   
"Then it's time to call Sally. Knowing her, she can zigzag anywhere in the city." She smirked about the idea.   
"A taxi would work. Just make sure you get dropped off within a block of the factory."   
"Right. In addition, there's something else we can do against Faceless that not even Shirley knows about herself."   
"Huh? What do you mean?"   
"Just…call it a hunch for now. Trust me."   
Ace simply smiled. "I think I understand. I'll take the Magic Racer now to meet Faceless."   
"And I'll be ready to roll five minutes later," said Angie. "I just hope Shirley's okay right now." 

I was finally coming around after who knows how long. After all, I had no clue where I was, and I didn't know how long I slept, thanks to that stupid tranquilizer Faceless injected into me. "Ohhh…what happened? Wh-where am I?" I was very groggy.   
"So," said that creepy female voice, "you've finally awakened, my dear Angela."   
Despite my induced fatigue, I felt a bit angry. "How many times do I have to tell you!? My name is _not_ Angela Jacobs! I'm Shirley Ann Burton!"   
"Sorry, Jacobs, but your act doesn't fool me."   
_Great, she still thinks I'm Angie. If I don't get home, my mother will get very worried as usual and throw a fit when I get home…**if** I get home, that is._   
_Shirley,_ said a male voice in my head, _it's me, Ace. Are you all right?_   
_ Not…at the moment. Faceless is thinking I'm Angie, and I can't convince her at all._   
_ I know. However, for now, just play along with her. The real Angie is secretly on her way._   
_ Which reminds me…where the heck am I?_   
_ You're at the fireworks factory about a mile from the DNA Club/Mall._   
_Oh. I guess she dragged me here. Please, help me. My mother may be getting very worried about me._   
I then heard Angie's voice. _Don't bet on it, Shirley. Remember, time in this world is somewhat different than yours, but it is Halloween. Just try not to panic. We'll get you out somehow._   
_ Please, just hurry,_ I thought to them. _I just want to go home._   
_ We understand. Just try to be as calm as possible for now._   
As the weird link faded, I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness. "What…can I do to make you understand?" I asked in a woozy state. "I haven't done anything. I'm just wearing my costume today, that's all."   
"Yes, I noticed. A very cheap imitation, yet I know it's really you, Jacobs. When Cooper gets here, I'll make sure you're both finished in one clear shot."   
A beeping sound was then heard from the office where the surveillance system was placed. "Ah, Cooper must be here."   
She ran to that office and looked at the 10 monitors which made up the closed-circuit system. "There he is, at the front door. I think I'll greet him with a star or two."   
Since my hearing was sensitive enough to pick up what she said, I knew I had to warn Ace and fast. _Ace, listen, you'd better use the Magic Force now. Faceless plans on using some of those ninja stars._   
Nearing the door, Ace heard my thought. _Thanks for the warning, Shirley. I'll be careful._ "Now, first things first." Stepping back and going into a spin, he yelled, **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!"_** Quickly emerging in his crimefighting costume, he put his hands forward and blew away the front door of the factory. Entering the building, he yelled out, "Okay, Faceless, I'm here. Come and get me."   
Meanwhile, Angie was with Sally the cabbie. "Sally, I appreciate you doing this for me."   
"Hey, anything to help a friend. So, you wanna stop where?"   
"One block away from the fireworks factory. Ace is already in the place now."   
"How do ya know that?"   
"Let's just say it's magic."   
"Whatever you say, Angie."   
Back in the factory, Ace remembered the warning. "I'm waiting, Faceless."   
Sure enough, he heard the coming of a couple of ninja stars, so he used his cape to make himself vanish.   
When the stars hit the wall, Faceless came up and took them. "How'd he know about the stars? Doesn't matter right now." She then looked all around her. "Come out, Cooper! I know you're here for your friend."   
Quickly appearing behind the villainess, he said, "All right, Faceless, let my friend go now. You know you can't beat me."   
"Says you, Magician," she stated angrily. "Of course, I don't understand why Jacobs won't use her magic."   
_Faceless still doesn't know it's not Angie yet,_ he thought. _Angie, where are you now?_   
_ Almost there, Ace. Is Shirley okay?_   
_ Yes. She's safe for now. You know what to do._   
_ Right. I'll be one block away any minute now. Keep her busy as long as you can._   
"It's me you want, Faceless."   
"No, it's _both_ of you I want! You both have interfered with my plans for the last time!" She then started charging with her extended metallic claws.   
Ace quickly ducked out of the way and started throwing his steel-cut playing cards at the thief. "Take that!"   
Faceless countered with her ninja stars to break the cards. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Magician!"   
Arriving at the exact position, one block away from the factory, Angie gave Sally the money and said to keep the change as a tip.   
She concentrated with her psychic powers. "Ace and Shirley are both in there," she whispered, "and Ace is keeping her busy. Now it's my turn for the switch!" She went into a spin herself and compassionately yelled, **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!"_** Materializing in her own special costume, Angie was ready to take her part of the rescue plan into action. Enveloping herself in the cape, she vanished into thin air.   
The female magician quickly appeared inside the building. "Now, to find my creator." She closed her eyes to concentrate. "Shirley, where are you?"   
She soon saw where I was tied up. "Hold on, my friend, I'll get you out."   
Quickly running through the area, she soon found me. Putting her arms forward, she used her magic to untie the ropes around my hands and legs. "Don't worry, Shirley, I'm here."   
I was about to fall forward when she immediately ran up to grab me before my face hit the floor.   
Still feeling unsteady, I looked. "Angie…is that you?"   
"Yes. You're still affected by the drug Faceless used on you."   
"I am? I had no idea."   
Faceless thought she had the situation under control when she turned and saw someone at my aid. "What the—? Nobody's getting her out alive!" She then threw her stars toward us!   
"Look out!" Ace shouted.   
Angie managed to pull me out of the way in the nick of time and behind some crates.   
She then focused her attention on me. "Are you okay?"   
"Not…not really. I'm still sick."   
Angie then took her cape off and wrapped it around me. "This should give you a temporary fix until this is all over, and we can get you fixed up at the Magic Express."   
I felt a warmth from the cape itself, and I already started to feel better. "Angie…thank you."   
Faceless then refocused her anger on the Magician. "You had help! Now you're gonna pay!"   
Ace then created multiple illusions of himself. "You'll have to find me first."   
She screamed out of pure hatred. "I'll _kill_ you, Cooper!"   
Where we were, Angie took the cape back and placed it around her shoulders. "You okay now?"   
"Yeah, but I heard Faceless just now. You've got to help Ace before she kills him."   
Angie put her right hand on my left shoulder. "No, Shirley. _We_ have to help him."   
"We? What are you talking about? I…I don't have any powers."   
"That's where you're wrong, Shirley. You _do_ have magic."   
"How can I have magic?" I said angrily. "All I'm wearing is this lousy costume!"   
"Please, just listen to me. Within each of us lies something which, to a degree, can be considered magic. You, Shirley, do possess magic."   
"I don't understand, Angie. I'm not a magician. I don't have magical powers like you and Ace. I _can't_ help."   
"If you don't have magic, Shirley," said the female magician by mouth at first, _then why is it you can communicate with both Ace and me by thought? You couldn't do that if you didn't have magic of your own._ She then closed her eyes. "Shirley, I can sense a dormant magical power…deep within you. It's so deep you don't even know it yourself."   
"You're kidding me," I said nervously.   
"No, I'm not. Your magic is the magic of creativity and imagination. As a writer, you have the power to invent characters and things, and most of those inventions are from your own heart. _That_ is magic. What you need to do now is reach deep down into yourself."   
"Reach deep into my…heart?"   
"Yes, for like my own magic, that is where your greater power rests. I know you can do it."   
"No, I…I just can't bring myself to believe it."   
"I know you have magic inside your own heart. Just believe in it…and yourself. Close your eyes and go deeply within yourself."   
I still didn't believe what my creation was saying, but I went ahead with it anyway. I gritted my teeth in trying to find this power inside myself.   
Angie then said, "No, Shirley. Not that way. Concentrating that hard won't work. Just feel it from within, and let it come to you."   
I closed my eyes and felt myself take a journey deep into my own soul. "Wait," I whispered softly. "I…I feel something…warm…this warmth, I can feel it all over my soul. Why?"   
"Your heart is filled with compassion and love," Angie said to me. "You are always able to feel us in your world. Ace and I both know how hard it's been for you to express yourself in your world, but your magic allows you to make your feelings into words, which soon become a story. Now, you are here, with a chance to find your real magic."   
I didn't know why I did this, but out of instinct I just put my hands forward. When I felt something weird, I opened my eyes. "I don't believe it! I…created this light?" A ball of pure light lay in front of me. "I did this?"   
"Yes, you did. You have found your true magic."   
I wanted to feel the ball forever, but then I remembered about Ace. "He needs help right now." I then made the ball disappear.   
Angie looked at me and smiled. "Shirley, are you ready to deal with Faceless?"   
"Yeah, I feel ready now. Let's do this…together."   
Ace was using every trick possible to stop Faceless, but she soon had him pinned to the wall with her stars.   
With him almost completely helpless, Faceless thrusted with fully-extended claws for the finishing blow. "You die _now!_"   
Suddenly, two female voices shouted, "Not so fast, Faceless!"   
The master criminal stopped dead in her tracks and turned. When she noticed two young women standing together, she went into complete disbelief. "What the—? It can't be! How can there be _two_ Angela Jacobs?"   
Ace looked at the two. _Angie, Shirley. The creator…and her creation…standing together._   
Angie then looked at the criminal. "Faceless, you _thought_ you kidnapped me in a disguise, but you actually took someone else prisoner."   
"Who is she?" asked the appalled Faceless.   
"You didn't believe her when she mentioned who she was. Well, her name really _is_ Shirley Ann Burton, she really _does_ have dark brown hair and brown eyes, and this homemade Magician costume _is_ hers. How dare you kidnap my friend!"   
Faceless then looked at me and growled, "How do you know Jacobs?"   
I simply answered, "I've known Angie for over two years now, and believe me, you're gonna _pay_ for using me to get to my friends!"   
I felt my own power coming to me, so I placed my arms forward. I managed to shoot out a couple of bolts of lightning. That was a big mistake, though, mainly because I forgot this was a _fireworks_ factory!   
Faceless was so shocked at what I had done she just started running but had difficulty seeing in the smoke.   
As the sparks shot everywhere, I cringed. "Whoops," I said in embarrassment. "I messed that up _real_ bad."   
Angie looked at me and said, "Don't worry about it. Remember what I did to Ace the first time I really used my own magic?"   
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that."   
The sparks started igniting the fireworks all over the place, and both Angie and I knew time was running out fast. We had to free Ace quickly.   
Both of us ran up to him to get the stars off his arms and get him free.   
The stars were so deep into the wall, though, we couldn't pull them out alone.   
"Stand back, Shirley," Angie commanded. "I'll get him out." She then focused her powers on making the stars disappear.   
After being freed, Ace looked at me and sensed the guilt of the mistake I had made. "Shirley, when it's the first time, it's always the hardest, most frightening, and most surprising experience. Don't worry about it right now. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find Faceless and—"   
He couldn't even get started because the fireworks were hitting so hard at the top of the factory that it was slowly beginning to cave in. "There's no time! Girls, we need to leave, now!"   
"But," I said, "you can't teleport me out of here."   
"Shirley, you know of your own magic now, so here's your chance to make right your accidental error. Take our hands now, and concentrate with us on teleporting out of the building."   
The three of us held hands together, and I somehow felt their hearts beating perfectly with my own. _I want,_ I thought and felt, _I want…I want us all to get out of here safely. Please, I don't want them or myself to be hurt._   
All of us felt the magic within ourselves, and in perfect unison we yelled, **_"Magic Force, unite our powers!"_**   
We soon disappeared out of the building and somehow reappeared two blocks away, with no injury of any type.   
After Ace made the call to Lt. Vega, fire units and police units arrived at the factory to put the fire out before anything else could happen.   
When he saw all three of us, the lieutenant said, "I think I need glasses. Are there _three_ Magicians?"   
Angie giggled. "No, Vega." Bringing me forward, she added, "This is Shirley Ann Burton. Faceless kidnapped her by mistake because she thought this person was me."   
Vega looked at me and smiled. "Not quite a good imitation costume, Miss Burton, but at least you're safe."   
I shook hands with him for the first time. "It's okay, sir. On Halloween, anyone can dress up as anything. That's why I dressed up in this costume…" I started dozing off.   
Angie knew what it was. "The tranquilizer must be taking effect again. Let's get her back to the Express and fix her up so we can get her home safely."   
"Good idea," Ace agreed. "She's had a really long night."   
Vega smiled at the two magicians. "I believe it. She gets kidnapped by Faceless and gets mistaken for Angie. By the way, where does Miss Burton live?"   
"Montgomery, Alabama, in another world and another time."   
The lieutenant looked at Ace like he was crazy. "I—oh, never mind, forget it." He then walked away to continue work on the crime scene.   
Ace carried me in his arms back to the Magic Racer, and soon all three of us were on the way to the Magic Express.   
"Ace," said Angie, "do you think Faceless got away?"   
The Magician gave a grave answer. "Knowing her…she'll be back to haunt us again…and it'll be soon, too." 

In the computer room of the Magic Express, Angel gave me the antidote to make me a lot better than I had been when I accidentally crossed over.   
"Ace," said the computer, "Shirley has also sustained an injury to her left knee."   
"She did? How?"   
I slowly awakened and said, "Hit a dry spot on the lane at the bowling alley."   
"I see. Are you okay on it?"   
"Yeah. I'm fine. Besides, I still got the spare."   
Angie smiled at me. "Shirley, we appreciate your help in getting us out of that factory tonight."   
"I also need to thank both of you for rescuing me from Faceless. I got nervous for a while."   
Ace then scanned my mind because he could sense something worrying me. "You have to take your mother to the doctor tomorrow…on your birthday?"   
"Yeah. I need to get back to the bowling alley parking lot and to my car."   
"I understand. You also have a job, so we'll walk with you back to your car."   
"Thanks, guys. Say, where are Cosmo and Zina?"   
"Cosmo's out," answered Angie, "probably trick-or-treating…more tricks than treats, I figure. Zina's making sure he stays out of trouble tonight."   
"Come on, Shirley. We need to get you back to your world so you can get home." 

Soon enough, we went through the tunnel which lead to the Magic Express, but when we came out, we made it to the bowling alley parking lot, in my world. "Guys, thanks again for helping me."   
Ace said, "You did a lot of the work, though, by finding your own magic."   
"I guess I've always had it, but never really understood it."   
"You really _are_ a magician, Shirley. Never lose sight of where the greatest magic comes from."   
"Yeah. I promise, I won't." As I started opening the door to my car, I looked at them one last time. "I'll never forget this Halloween as long as I live, especially since there's also a full moon."   
As I drove away in my car and headed for home, Ace and Angie both waved at me before they disappeared into the night air. 

The next day, on my birthday, Ace and Angie appeared in my room as soon as I got home from work.   
"Happy birthday, Shirley," the two magicians said at the same time.   
"Aw, thanks. I'm glad you're both here. I didn't have a good day at work."   
Angie said, "Yeah, we know, but maybe this will cheer you up." She then created a ball of blue light in her right hand. When the ball disappeared, a necklace appeared. "Have this butterfly necklace from both of us." She then floated the necklace around my neck.   
"It's beautiful. Thank you."   
"No, Shirley," said Ace, "thank _you_. You really came through last night with your own magic. The next time you come back, maybe we can help you master your own magic."   
I hugged them both. "I will cherish this necklace, but won't Mom get—"   
"She won't even see it. Only you can see the necklace. Trust me."   
"I do, Ace. Thanks again."   
"You're welcome, and happy birthday."   
Angie then noticed her clock. "We've got to get back. We have to practice for our show for Saturday night."   
"Okay. See you two later."   
The two magicians crossed through the portal back into their world, and things were soon back to normal…if someone thought _this_ was normal.   
Halloween this year was the best ever, not only because I got to bowl in my homemade Magician costume, but also because I managed to find my own magic. 

THE END 

I will not forget Halloween 2001 mainly for two reasons: There was a full moon this night, which really gave it more of the haunting appeal. Also, in this time of uncertainty and anxiety, Halloween gave me some peace of mind and a chance to get away from the worries, even if it were just for a little while. 


End file.
